I am located in the Gainesville, FL area. Please be aware of how far away you live before sending an adoption form. I have had people on the waiting list suddenly drop out because they realized they lived 10 hours away. By knowing the distance you are from me, you will avoid disappointment on each end.

This answers most peoples' questions about adoption and how to begin, and saves me the trouble of repeating myself 100 times. ^.^

3. Please fill out and e-mail an adoption form

If you take the time to answer questions about your rat background, it gives me the impression that you are really interested in owning rats and are not going to be a lazy owner. People who try to find a way out of a 5 minute questioner are automatically denied. If you can't devote a mere five minutes, what makes me think you can devote time to caring for your pets? Also, you will not be added to any waiting lists until I have read your application and approved it.

I must also have the pet contract signed in order to finalize the adoption. This way I have your signature on file stating you will adhere to the rules.

4. Reservation fees are NON-REFUNDABLE

This means, once you send it to me, that's it, you do not get it back. If you change your mind the next day I am not refunding you. Make sure you are final with your decision. You will ONLY get a refund if babies die or are unfit for adoption. You should be completely serious when wanting to own pets.

5.You must have a cage, supplies, and food on hand prior to adoption

This means you own a multilevel cage with proper bar dimensions for a small rat. If adopting babies, be prepared to possibly keep you babies in a hamster cage, or something of similar size to prevent escape. Rats need climbing space and do not do well in a one level tank. Also, tanks have terrible airflow. Supplies include enrichment toys, water bottles/bowls, food dishes, bedding (never pine or ceder products), sleeping places, hammocks...ect. You must also have food ready for your new rats when they get home so they do not have to wait for you to go to the store.

6. If you are a first time rat owner, or have no current rats at home, you must adopt 2 rats of the same sex

Rats are social animals and live in colonies in the wild. Rats will suffer from mental stress if not kept in at least pairs. Also, if you are gone at work, your rats will have the company of each other...what fun is living your life in a cage all alone?

7. It is YOUR responsibility to keep up with the updates on this site.

I will not e-mail everyone individually. You will need to check to see when babies are ready, how they are doing, if there is a change in adoption process...etc. Updates on litters will be posted under Current Litters. Rattery updates will be on the site's blog. Random happenings and archives will be on the external blog (which you can find a link to at the bottom of the Home page). Videos are posted via facebook and youtube.

Is it up to you to schedule a time to pick up your rats. If I don't hear from you, I'm going to assume you're no longer interested and move on. If there is a personal problem, I will address it via the adopter and myself.

8. A Gothic Rattery is not liable for any damages, injuries, or vet expenses once adoption has been finalized

Once the rats leave, they are your responsibility. I will take back rats at anytime, but I am not liable for money lost. Breeding is not an exact science and sometimes nasty things can creep up that I had no idea about. You, as the adopter, must know of the risk of owning any animal and understand that illness can always strike.

9. Friend the rattery on Facebookand keep in contact

If you have a facebook account, please send me a request. It is very easy to keep up with people on facebook. I require communication and a relationship. Do not expect to adopt from me and go MIA. You must be willing to respond to my e-mails every now and then. We do not need to chat every day, but if I send a message asking how rats are, please respond. Before adoption is finalized, I expect to build a relationship with you first by either e-mailing or messaging on Facebook. A mere e-mail application does not give me a feel for you as a person.

I may need to alert you to sudden health findings in your rat's line. I may discover your rat's ancestors have started to develop tumors or have become aggressive with age. This is something you should be aware of. Also, if things come up and you cannot keep your rats, you will be able to get ahold of me pretty quickly and I can take them from you.

10. Be willing to return rats if you can no longer keep them

I will be able to take back rats produced and re-homed by me in the event that you can no longer care for them. This does not mean I will pay you back for them, but I will give them a home here while I search for their new one. I can also sell their cage for you and we can get together to discuss payment methods. If for some reason I cannot handle taking on more rats, I will then ask that I be put in charge of finding them a new owner and picking the rats up from you to deliver to the new owner (if you are willing to keep them in your home until then). I also have a few temporary homes set up with friends that can be arranged.

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